Trolley-wire suspender.



J. MAYER.

TROLLEY WIRE SUSPENDER. APPLICATION FILED DBO. 21, 1907.

Patented Apr. 20, 1909.

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JOSEPH MAYER, RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY.

TROLLEY-WIRE SUSPENDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 20, 1909.

Application filed December 21 1907. Serial No. 407,546.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Josnrn MAYER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Rutherford, in the county of Bergen and State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Trolley- Wire Suspenders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to suspenders for trolley wires, one object of the invention being to avoid the large bending stresses in the trolley wire heretofore present.v

Another object is to avoid the jumping off of the trolley wheel; to avoid severe blows to the wire and suspenders, sharp bending of the Wire, etc. 7

Trolley wire suspenders at present in use are short and rigid castings which hold the wire in fixed direction. The wire is bent laterally by wind pressures and vertically by temperature changes and the passing trolley wheel or sliding how. The longer the span, the greater are the bending stresses at the suspenders, so that the present suspenders limit the length of the safe span, especially with high speeds, for the wheel or bow in summer gives the suspender a severe blow as it approaches the sameduring strong winds, the Wire is bent (laterally and the trolley wheel approaches the suspenders with a horizontal slope towindward and leaves it with a slope to leeward, thus causing a sudden change of direction of motion in the wheel, which, with ordinary suspenders, causes large side pressures'and even jumping out of the wheel. This effect is increased at curves. High speeds are'not practicable, therefore, with trolley wheels. Horizontal and vertical changes in direction of motion of the trolley 'wheel and the sliding how should be gradual, or along curves of long radius, and the trolley wire should never be bent in a curve of short radius, as this produces large and dangerous bending stresses tending to break it.

The above-specified evils of the ordinary construction are avoided or minimized by the present invention, which consists, broadly, of a flexible suspender bar to which the wire is secured in suitable ways.

Preferably, the suspender consists of a flexible bar whose cross-sectional area diminishes from the center toward each end, but a flexible bar of uniform section would be within the scope of the invention.

One embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, forming part hereof, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the suspender bar; Fig. 2 is a plan of the same; Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are sectional views on the planes 33, 4-4, 55, respectively, in Fig. 1 and Fig. 6 is a view of a modification.

In the drawing, the reference character 1 designates the suspender bar, which is provided at a central point with the perforated ear 2 by means of which it is connected with the usual insulator of the carrying structure (not shown). The bar 1 is long and is of a flexible material, and, in the preferred form, varies decreasingly in cross-section from the center toward the ends, in such a manner that the curvature of the attached wire is under all conditions approximately uniform along the whole length of the bar. This is most important when the tension in the wire 3 is largest, namely, at lowest temperatures coupled with largest wind-pressures and iceload. When the tension is small, greater bending stresses can be safely resisted, and variable curvature is not so harmful. At points near the center of the bar 1, pairs of clips 4 grip the wire 3, said clips being shaped to grip under the wire as shown, and being secured to the bar 1 by means of bolts 5 and nuts 6, as shown in Fig 4, said bolts passing through holes in the bar and the clips. Near the ends of the bar, where its section is less, pairs of clips 7 embrace the bar 1, to which they are attached by light rivets 8, and their upper, off-set ends are secured together by bolts 5 and nuts 6, in the manner shown in Fi 3.

The above-described arrangements of wire and suspender are suitable where a sliding bow is used. Where a grooved trolley wheel is to be used, the arrangement shown in Fig. 6 may be used. In Fig. 6, a grooved Wire 3 is shown, and the clips 4 grip the same in the groove thereof, and are so shaped as to be out of the way of the flanges 9 of the trolley-wheel 10. It will be noted, also, that the clips 4 and 7 shown. in Figs. 3 and 4 grip the wire 3 below the center thereof, thereby holding the same firmly against the suspender bar 1.

It will be noted, in Fig. 2, that the bar 1 is provided with off-sets 11 between the center and the ends thereof; these off-sets in the width of the bar 1 are for convenience of manufacture, as, if the width tapered toward the ends, the clips Would all be different the described construction permits of the use of like clips at different distances from the center of the bar. The bar 1 has sullicient resiliency to restore it to normal position on the disappearance of the bending forces.

a hat 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States isl. A hanger for the contact uires of electric railways, comprising a flexible resilient bar and numerous clips for connecting the Wire and the bar along the whole length of the bar, the bar being of cross section decreasing from the center toward each end and being suspended at the center.

2. A hanger for the contact wire of electric railways comprising a flexible resilient bar and numerous clips for connecting the wire and the bar along the whole length of the bar, the bar being of cross-section decreasing from its middle portion toward each end in such manner that the v. ire at and near the hanger, under the influence of temperature changes, v. ind, Weights and pressure of the current collectors, is bent in vertical and horizontal directions in curves of nearly uniform curvature without sharp bends either under the bar or near it.

3. A hanger for the contact wire of electric railways comprising a flexible resilient bar and numerous clips, short in the direction of the length of the uire as compared with their distance apart and non-rotatable around the bar for connecting the nire and the bar along the whole length of the bar, the bar being of cross-section decreasing from its middle portion toward each end in such manner that the wire, at and near the hanger, under the influence of temperature changes, Wind, Weights and pressure of the current collector, is bent in vertical and horizontal directions in curves of nearly uniform curvature without sharp bends either under the bar or near it.

l. A hanger for the contact wire of electric railways comprising a flexible resilient bar and numerous clips, each in two parts secured together by bolts or rivets paced above the lower edge of the bar for connecting the wire and the bar along the whole length of the bar, the bar being of cross-scetion decreasing from its middle portion toward each end, in such manner that the wire at and near the hanger, under the inllncnce of temperature changes, ind, weights, and pressure of the current collectors, is bent, in vertical and horizontal directions in curves of nearly uniform curvature \xithout sharp bends either under the bar or near it.

5. A hanger for the contact v. ire of electric railways comprising a flexible resilient bar and numerous clips, each in two parts secured together by bolts placed above the lower edge of the bar and said clips being short in the direction of the length 01 the wire as compared with their distance apart and non-rotatable around the bar, for connecting the \x ire and the bar along the whole length ol the bar, the bar being of cross-seetion decreasing from its middle portion to ward each end in such manner that the n ire, and near the hanger, under the inllnence of temperature changes, wind, aieights, and pressure of the current collectors, is bent, in horizontal and vertical directions in curves of nearly uniform curvature, aithout sharp bends either under or near the bar.

Signed at New York in the county of Ken York and State of New York this 19th day of December A. D. 1907.

JOSEPH MAYER.

Witnesses:

HUGO Moon, ll. W. BARKLEY. 

